Stranded whale dies on beach

The West Australian

Thursday, 16 July 2009 2:06PM

Dozens of spectators in Point Samson in WA's Pilbara watched with their hands over their noses as the smelly and complicated task of removing the carcass of a 15m juvenile humpback whale from a popular beach unfolded.

The dead whale, which had shark bite marks, washed up on the old jetty beach in Pt Samson, 60km from Karratha, on Tuesday. Within 24 hours, the Roebourne Shire had organised the removal of the health hazard.

Rohan Hopkinson, a 10-year-old Karratha boy, captured the process with a camera as a crane carefully lifted the whale out of the water and onto a truck at John's Creek - the fishing section at Pt Samson.

The carcass was transported to the Seven Mile rubbish tip about 60km away to be buried.

Shire president Brad Snell said the dead whale had been seen floating out at sea on Monday. He said in 20 years of living in the area he had never seen a whale wash up at such a populated beach, which was even busier at the moment with tourists.

Earlier this week a 7m juvenile humpback died after beaching itself on Cable Beach near Albany.